Perks cut for Space by Ministry of Culture for archaeological sites following BN revelations

The cancellation by EAADHSI and the maneuvering they engaged in by pretending not to see, so that Space could monopolize museum gift shops. Vindication for BN regarding the revealing article of September 20 titled "BN Revelation: Reek of scandal with tailor-made leases by the Ministry of Culture — Bizarre monopoly for Space Hellas" arrived from the Single Public Procurement Authority (EAADHSI). And despite the fact that the Authority focuses on a specific tender and does not grasp the thread from the very beginning as a judicial authority could, for example, it comes to certify that at least two major tenders of the Cultural Resources Management and Development Organization (ODAP) leaked, or in plain English, were full of holes. One tender concerns the management of hygiene facilities and lockers at selected archaeological sites, such as the Acropolis, and the second involves the exploitation of 27 gift shops—to which BN had referred extensively—at highly significant archaeological sites and museums across the country, including those of the Acropolis, Knossos, Olympia, and Delphi. It is worth noting that the cancellation arrived as a result of appeals filed by interested companies, BN's revelations, as well as reactions from the Opposition. Specifically regarding the tender for the gift shops, the Authority ruled that the estimated contract value exceeds the EU threshold and that the notice ought to have been published at a European level rather than through a closed tender, impacting public procurement compliance. In short, ODAP acted as it pleased, following prior maneuvering to enable Space, alongside Radiant, to enter the gift shops through continuous awards.

The BN report follows:

BN Revelation: Reek of scandal with tailor-made leases by the Ministry of Culture — Bizarre monopoly for Space Hellas

An incredible chain monopolizing the exploitation of Ministry of Culture gift shops by listed IT firm Space Hellas, in collaboration with listed Radiant, is revealed today by BN. The climax occurred with 27 gift shops—encompassing that of the Acropolis Museum—via an express tender and a series of tailor-made terms, regarding which a pre-judicial appeal has already been lodged. The contract for the 27 gift shops was signed on the eve of August 15, following a series of tenders by ODAP (the former Archaeological Resources Fund) where Space and Radiant swept them as though no other interested party existed. However, the favor enjoyed by the joint venture of the two companies has extended to other entities as well, such as the National Archaeological Museum. All this obviously raises serious questions as to precisely what is transpiring and the role of the competent Minister, Ms. Lina Mendoni, who we assume will be able to explain these highly interesting phenomena, shedding light on Greek cultural heritage leases.

Let us, however, take things from the beginning. It was the eve of August 15, 2026, in the middle of summer, when the Cultural Resources Management and Development Organization (ODAP)—the former Archaeological Resources Fund—signed an interesting contract with the company "Elinika Anamnistika," which was incorporated by the economic operators' joint venture participating in the tender under the distinctive title "SPACE HELLAS - RADIANT".

Sole bidder

In plain English, a Joint Venture of Companies participated in the tender—one of which was listed Space Hellas—but ultimately the job was taken by the company incorporated by the two firms in the summer of 2025. This contract concerns the lease of 27 gift shops, and the tender was announced on June 4, 2026, and, as it appears, in record time the contract was awarded and signed. The interesting detail is that Elinika Anamnistika secured the contract after the tender had been awarded to the "SPACE HELLAS - RADIANT" joint venture that won it, and after they retroactively submitted a letter accepted by ODAP. The monthly rent stands at 50,600 euros plus 2% on revenues, with the minimum bid set at 46,030 plus 2%—meaning a mere 4,000 euros extra was offered, defining museum gift shop concessions.

Gift shops and rents

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The appeal

As can easily be ascertained, prime archaeological sites with massive foot traffic are included, led by the gift shop of the Acropolis Museum. For this reason alone, questions arise as to how a listed IT company ended up managing gift shops without any other interested party emerging for a tender conducted through express procedures. A tender where a pre-judicial appeal was already filed on August 28 by the firm "ORMINIA PC" before EAADHSI against the procedure of the aforementioned public auction tender, the award decision, and the concluded contract.

Reading the tailor-made terms

It is noteworthy that interested parties had one month to inspect the 27 gift shops on-site in order to submit an offer! That, however, is the least of it, as tailor-made provisions appear to be raining down and, lo and behold, only the Space-Radiant joint venture turned out to be quick enough and met the criteria. We highlight several of them: First, a joint venture of entities could submit an application without possessing legal form, but joint ventures of economic operators—should they so wish—may assume a specific legal form and/or the contract may be executed by an existing company in which their members participate exclusively, provided the contract is awarded to them. Economic operators participating in the procedure to conclude this contract are required to possess an average general annual turnover for the last three financial years (i.e., years 2023, 2024, 2025)—or the financial years in which the economic operator operates, if fewer than three—greater than five million euros (€5,000,000.00) and positive equity. That is, companies with an average annual turnover below €5 million over the last three years were excluded, establishing strict corporate procurement criteria.

And if someone managed to slip through, other terms followed, such as:

1. Having operated, during the last five-year (5-year) period prior to the date of conducting this tender, by virtue of a contract, one or more souvenir gift shops in a museum or historic site or visitable monument space or associations or organized archaeological site or cultural venue or souvenir gift shop managed by the Ministry of Culture or ODAP, lasting at least one year.

2. Possessing, during the last three-year period from the date of conducting this tender, exclusive commercial distribution and sales rights for products on behalf of a third party holding the copyright thereof, and

3. Having, during the last three-year period from the date of conducting this tender, implemented and delivered at least one (1) integrated information system with a budget exceeding €1,000,000.00 excluding VAT.

4. Complying with the ISO 9001:2015 standard or equivalent, and possessing a valid ISO 9001:2015 certificate or equivalent from an accredited body, with a scope of application covering the sale of souvenir items and museum replicas or a scope matching the subject of the tender, namely the sale of souvenir items and museum replicas.

Here comes the question: how many other companies besides the Joint Venture exist in Greece capable of submitting an offer within one month for 27 gift shops? Any answer is welcome, raising scrutiny over Greek public tender regulations.

The gift shop spree that preceded

It is worth noting that the Space-Radiant joint venture has firmly entered the gift shop sector despite Elinika Anamnistika having existed only since the summer of 2025—that is, a year and a bit. In 2026 alone they have secured:

• The gift shop at the GREEK HANDKERCHIEF CRAFT BUILDING (VEM) with a monthly rent of €350,

• The gift shop at the Royal Estate in Tatoi with a monthly rent of €1,000 plus 2% on revenues,

• At the NEW INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX PIRAEUS 260 IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF AG. IOANNIS RENTIS with a monthly rent of €800 plus 2% on revenues,

• The gift shop at the NEW NATIONAL MUSEUM OF UNDERWATER ANTIQUITIES IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF PIRAEUS with a monthly rent of €600 plus 2% on revenues,

• The gift shop at the DEFTERDAR MOSQUE IN KOS with a monthly rent of €310 plus 2% on revenues,

• The gift shop at the palace in the ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE OF MYSTRAS with a monthly rent of €400 plus 2% on revenues,

• The gift shop AT THE MUSEUM OF FINDINGS OF THE THESSALONIKI METROPOLITAN RAILWAY AT BARRACKS BUILDING A3 OF THE FORMER PAVLOS MELAS CAMP IN THESSALONIKI with a monthly rent of €350 plus 25% on revenues, and

• The gift shop at the PARLIAMENT FORMER FLOWER SHOPS with a monthly rent of €2,200 plus 2% on revenues.

Monopoly at the Ministry of Culture

As can be understood, this specific Joint Venture monopolizes ODAP gift shops, but apparently not only those at the Ministry of Culture. Indicatively, it is noted that Elinika Anamnistika operates the gift shop at the National Archaeological Museum, which provided it with the one year of required experience as a prerequisite to take the twenty-seven museums—purely by coincidence, we assume. We searched for the contract and could not find it on Diavgeia or KIMDIS, but we found the announcement stating a minimum rent of €3,000 per month. We discovered, however, that from this gift shop in 2025, for six months of operation, ELINIKA ANAMNISTIKA posted a turnover of €336 thousand and net profits after taxes of €41 thousand. A real goldmine, in short, reflecting Space Hellas business ventures.

Nikos Karoutzos

nkaroutzos@gmail.com

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